Lawmakers in Washington state heard testimony Thursday on a bill aimed at improving long-term care for LGBTQ seniors.

The bill would require that state nursing home workers and other long-term service providers be trained in the needs of LGBTQ patients.

Patricia McIntyre of the group Generations Aging With Pride testified on the bill. She said there is a need for this type of cultural competency training.

“When older adults who are LGBT fear or encounter discrimination,” McIntyre said. “Often they may receive sub-par treatment and they’ll go back in the closet. They’ll go back in the closet or they’ll start to delay medical care. And that should be a concern to all of us.”

The bill would require that long-term care workers go through at least one hour of training on the needs of the LGBTQ community.

Most long-term care workers are required by the state to complete 12 hours of advanced training in various topics every year.